NBC News' Chuck Todd said on Wednesday that the Biden campaign really needed to schedule debates with Donald Trump because they were currently losing and must shake up the race.
"You don't do this if you're ahead, obviously," Todd said, noting that this might have been a response to Democrats concerned about the president's polling. "So I think that they are smart to do this because they need to change the direction of the campaign. This campaign as it is going now is losing. You have to change the trajectory. You need something different to happen. This is different. The eagerness with which Trump accepted, I think the Biden campaign is lucky because I think the Biden campaign really needs this right now."
Todd told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchel that it was a risk for Biden and added that they needed to do something different because, "they're not speaking to 60% of the country."
Biden posted a video to social media on Tuesday and challenged Trump to two debates, which have been scheduled for June 27, hosted by CNN, and September 10, hosted by ABC News. Trump had previously said he would debate Biden anytime, anywhere.
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In Biden's video posted to social media, the president said Trump had lost two debates to him in 2020.
"Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again, well make my day, pal," Biden said. "So let's pick the dates, Donald. I hear you're free on Wednesdays."
After some more back and forth between the campaigns, the debates were set. The Biden campaign asked that the debates occur inside a TV studio, with microphones that automatically cut off when a speaker’s time limit elapses.
They also asked that the debates involve just the two candidates and the moderator — without "an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors" that Trump feeds on.
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"I'm ready to go," Trump said, responding to Biden's initial challenge. "The dates that they proposed are fine. Anywhere. Anytime. Any place. Let's see if Joe can make it to the stand-up podium."
Biden's campaign also requested that the debate not include any third-party challengers, including RFK Jr.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
